May Signees Release

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois men's soccer coach Adam Howarth has finalized the 2011 recruiting class. The class consists of 11 newcomers.

Chris Boswell, Jordan Collins, Tayron Martin, Tom Spalding and Evan Turner are the latest student-athletes to be added to the roster, joining Jake Brillhart, Will Butler, Garet Christianson, Spencer Filosa and Justin Zeis who signed with the Panthers in May.

“I am excited to add the 11 players in total for our incoming class,” said Howarth. “The returners had a great spring and with the addition of a core of seven freshman and four transfers the fall 2011 season looks very promising.

“All the players know they have a lot of work ahead of them and have set a high standard with a good spring finish. All of the newcomers I feel can push right away to play and the preseason camp will be an exciting time for me as a coach to see who rises to the top. With a challenging schedule in place, it's important with our three preseason matches we are prepared adequately for our first match at Northwestern.”

Chris Boswell

Height: 6'0”
Weight: 160
Position: Midfielder
Previous School: University of Denver
Hometown /High School: Naperville, Ill./Naperville North HS
Club Team: Sockers FC Academy

DENVER (2010): Spent the 2010 season at the University of Denver… did not see action with the Pioneers.

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Selected to the Chicago Tribune Top 20 Players in Illinois list in 2009… earned all-state honors during his junior and senior seasons… scored 12 goals and tallied four assists in 2009, leading his team to a 16-3-4 record, a conference title and a regional championship… also earned all-sectional, all-conference and all-area honors by the Daily Herald from 2007-09… played club soccer with the Sockers FC Chicago U18 USSDA Team… helped his club team capture the 2008 Disney Showcase Title… also helped club team to the US Academy Regional playoffs in 2009.

Coach Howarth's Thoughts on Boswell…
“I am really excited that Chris is joining us this fall. He was a very accomplished player at the club and high school level and with a year of college under his belt, I believe he will come in and be an instant contender in one of the central midfield positions. He is an extremely hard worker and is known for his ball winning skills. Chris is a great addition and will flourish in our environment both academically and athletically.”

Jordan Collins 

Height: 6'0”
Weight: 165
Position: Midfield/Defender
Previous School: Iowa Central C.C.
Hometown/High School: Dubuque, Iowa

Iowa Central C.C. (2009-10): Selected to the All-Region IX Honorable Mention team in 2010 after helping the Triton's to an 11-5-3 record… earned all-conference accolades in 2010… also helped the squad to a 19-8 record in 2009… helped lead the team to a Region XI Title and a Great Lakes District Championship in 2009.

HIGH SCHOOL: Earned all-area first-team honors in 2009… also earned Mississippi Valley Conference First Team honors a senior.

Coach Howarth's Thoughts on Collins…
“Jordan is technically very sound and a consistent performer. We were able to identify him at our winter camp and he stood out on that day. He has two years of solid soccer at Iowa Central C.C. behind him and will hit the ground running when he gets to EIU. Jordan will push hard in a central role but has the flexibility to play a few positions. He is a great addition to our team.”

Tayron Martin 

Height: 6'0”
Weight: 155
Position: Forward
Hometown/High School: Belton, Texas/Belton HS
Club: Lonestar Soccer Academy

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Scored 25 goals and had 12 assists during his senior season… led his team to a 22-2-2 record… selected as the all-district MVP… was also named to the Killeen Daily Herald First Team, the Waco Tribune Super Centex First Team and the all-district first team… selected to participate in the Region 11 Senior Showcase in 2011… helped team to No. 3 state ranking and a No. 5 ranking in the nation by ESPN Rise during his senior season… scored 35 goals and tallied 15 assists as a junior to help team post a 21-5 record… earned Killen Daily Herald Area Player of the Year honors in 2010… also named the all-district MVP in 2010… was named the Waco Tribune Super Centex First Team and the all-district first team as a junior.

Coach Howarth's Thoughts on Martin…
“I am very excited to add Tayron to our class for this fall. Tayron is a great athlete and has the ability to put the ball in the back of the net. He played for my former college coach, Cizo Mosnia, and has blossomed each year. Tayron can score goals and will follow in a long line of great goal scorers here at EIU.”

Tom Spalding

Height: 6'2”
Weight: 195
Position: Defender
Previous School: Lincoln C.C.
Hometown/High School: Birmingham, England/Arthur Terry School
Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers

LINCOLN C.C. (2009-10): Led team to a school record 19 wins and a No. 5 finish at the JUCO National Championships in 2010… also led squad to its first regional and national tournament appearances… helped team to a 10-7-2 record in 2009… served as team captain in 2009 and 2010… was an all-region selection during freshman and sophomore seasons.

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Played with the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth team.

Coach Howarth's Thoughts on Spalding…
“Tom is an accomplished center back who has played soccer at some of the highest levels in England and brought his junior college team to a 5th place finish at nationals last year. He will bring a lot of knowledge to our back line as he reads the game very well. I look forward to working with Tom and his experience will be a great asset.”

Evan Turner

Height: 6'4”
Weight: 190
Position: Goalkeeper
Previous School: Howard University
Hometown/High School: Chicago, Ill./South Eugene High School (Eugene, Ore.)

HOWARD (2010): Played in 15 matches between the pipes, including a team-high nine starts… logged 1,331 minutes… made 64 saves and posted two shutouts.

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Was a four-year letter winner in soccer… played goalkeeper for the EMFC Corinthians club team.

Coach Howarth's Thoughts on Turner…
“Evan is coming in with Division I experience as he was the starting goalkeeper for Howard last year. He has a good command of his penalty box and has great size. I am excited to see how he does in the battle for our goalkeeper spot. He will bring a good work ethic to the table and has the ability to make quality saves when called upon.”


2011 EIU Men's Soccer Class

Name	Ht.	Wt.	Pos.	Hometown/Previous School
Chris Boswell	6'0"	160	M	Naperville, Ill./University of Denver
Jake Brillhart	5'10"	155	M	Southlake, Texas/Southlake Carroll HS
Will Butler	5'9"	150	M/F	Bolingbrook, Ill./Nequa Valley HS
Garet Christianson	6'1"	150	F	Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Cedar Rapids Kennedy HS
Jordan Collins	6'0"	165	M/D	Dubuque, Iowa/Iowa Central C.C.
Spencer Filosa	5'10"	165	M/F	Hoffman Estates, Ill./Palatime Fremd HS
Jake Irwin	6'2"	160	D/M	Normal, Ill./Normal HS
Tayron Martin	6'0"	155	F	Belton, Texas/Belton HS
Tom Spalding	6'2"	195	D	Birmingham, England/Lincoln C.C.
Evan Turner	6'4"	190	GK	Chicago, Ill./Howard University
Justin Zeis	6'0"	170	D	Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley HS